Heat exchanger unit



June 14, 1932- W. L. RIFENBERICK ET AL 1,862,707

HEAT EXCHANGE-R UNI T Filed June 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l i o o /e Z ZELF-i f/g i r-- I UUUUL/ ooooooooooooaoooooo qoooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooo I F EU Fig.2 I

INVENTOR ATTORNEY June 14, 1932- w. L. RIFENBERICK ET AL 1,862,707

HEAT EXCHANGER UNIT Filed June 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1NVENTOR$ Z AdH m N F R mvW/m L0 .M Z2 .a/ QW Wm header member taken at Patented J une14, 1932 winnrnr a. arrmnarcx um cinema 0. sam'as'rnou,

or nos Axe-ems, cnrroimm HEAT EXCHANGE UNIT Application filed June 14,

vide an adjustable and removable partitioning means for the headercavities.

A further object is to provide units of the class described which areparticularly adapted for assembly in multiple to provide larger units.

Yet another object is to provide a header structure of the classdescribed having a minimum number of separate parts.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some ofwhich, with the foregoing, will be set forth or be apparent in thefollowing description of typical embodiments of the invention which areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is afragmentary side'elevation of a heat exchanger unit embodying thepresent invention.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the unit. Figure 3 is a fragmentary planview of the unit.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section at 44= in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a sectional elevation at 5-5 in Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an elevation of a header member of the unit as viewed fromthe tube plate side thereof.

Figure 7 is an enlarged sectional; view of the header member providinthe tube plate, said view being taken at 7 in Figure 6.

Figure 8 is an elevation of the member shown in Figure 7 the cover beingremoved.

Figure 9 is an enlarged plan section of the 9-9 in Figure 6,

1980. Serial No. 461,128.

a partition member below the plane of the view being removed, also .thecover.

Figure 10 is an enlarged view. of a portion of the showing of Figure 8.

Figure 11is an upper tion member for mounting in the header.

Figure 12 is an enlarged fragmentary sec-' tion at 12-12 in Figure 7 andshowing the details of a partition-securing means invention.

Figure 13 isa view similar to Figure 10, but disclosing an alternativeiheans or mounting a partition in the header.

In the provision of a heat exchanger for use with one or more fluids, ithas heretofore been a usualcustom to provide units which have beenspecifically designed for the given fluid, or fluids, at given initialtemperatures, reference being made not only to fluid heaters and coolersgenerally, but to condensers and the like. But conditions as to thenature or temperatures of fluids to be handled may change, whereby theaforesaid special units may become obsolete for use, and must bereplaced. In accordance with the present inheat exchanger unit isvention, however, a provided whereby the effective section and length ofa fluid stream therethrough may be adjustably varied to meet varioussituations and the one unit may thus serve to meet many requirements. Itwill be obvious that units suchas the present, through theiradaptability to provide various operative combina tions, may be usedmore or less universally 1n plants where a number of different suchunits to meet different conditions are now used, whereby a markedeconomic advantage results, both through the avoidance of replacementcosts and the quantity production of the units made possible by theiradaptability face view of a partiof the to'meet a wide range ofcirculation require ments.

F purposes of illustration, the features of the present invention aredisclosed as inunit of flow paths cooler unit 14 wherein a bank of tubes15 is connected between a pair of headers 16 providing fluiddistribution chambers, or cavities, 17. As shown, spacers 18 and braces19 connect the headers 16, whereby a provision to permitanyrequiredlongqt'udinal expansion mg from their expansion. particularlydisclosed, the tubes of the bank are horizontallg' disposed and the tubebank is somewhat hig er than it is wide whereby the headers are seen aselongated elements having their longitudinal axes vertical.

The headers 16 particularly shown, and the present invention isspecifically incorporated in the structure of said header By particularreference to Figures 4 to 10 inclusive, each header 16 is seen tocomprise a member 21 and a plate 22 arranged for boltmg in place toclose the open side of the memthe member 21 is perforated to fixedlyreceive the extremities of the tubes 15 whereby said wall comprises atube plate for the assembled unit. The longitudlnal side walls 24 andend walls 25 of the member 21 extend perpendicularly from the wall 23and terminate at a continuous and finished rim face 26'against which theperipheral portions of the inner face 27 of the cover plate 22 arearranged to be fitted, said latter face being preferably finished andplane for its entire area. Stud bolts 28 are utilized mounted position.

By reference to Figure 5, it will be noted that a transversepartitioning of the header chambers 17 is effected, and that suchpartithrough the tubes and headers. Bafile members 31 effect theaforesaid partitioning of the chambers, and said partition members areremovably and ad ustably mounted in place for accomplishing amajorobject of the present invention; namely, the provision in the ofdifferent lengths as may be required or desired. As particularly shownin 1 Figure 5, two partitions 31 are providethin one header cavity andthree partitions are provided in the other header cavity whereby thezigzag fluid path provided makes six longitudinal traverses of the unit,the fluid entering and leaving the unit at the lizing more or fewer hepartitions 31 in the different headers, the unit may be utilized toprovide flow paths of varying length whereby to meet a Wide range ofrequirements for its operative use.

For mounting the partitions 31 in the headers, we prefer toprovide'ridges or ribs 32 extending across and from the inner faces 33may be exactly alike, as is generally trough-like t of the tube of theopposed header walls 24, and to secure the partitions to appropriatepairs of said ridges. The set of ribs 32 of each wall 24 are integraltherewith and are formed with mutually coplanar faces 34. All of theribs 32 are mutually parallel, and the planes of the two sets of faces34 are also parallel in the present instance. For reasons to behereinafter broughtbut, the partitions are arranged to be mounted inoblique relation to the longitudinal axes of the headers. According andas shown, said partitions may comprise rectangular plates havingopposite edge portions appropriately bevelled to protition is preferablysuch that said artition does not obstruct any of the-per orations plate.The partition edge face 38 at the opposite edge from the face 36 is alsofinished and is arranged to be closely engaged by the inner face 27 ofthe cover plate 22 when the latter is in place whereby to complete atransverse and sealed partitioning of the cavity' by means of thepartition; if desired, a transversely resilient gasket may be engagedbetween the cover plate 22 and rim face 26 for insuring the desiredclose fit of a partition in its p k s shown indetail in Figure 12, themeans provided for securing a partition 31 to the ribs comprises theprovision in the partition of transverse bolt holes 39 for the receptionof bolts 41. The holes 39 are with respect to a partition edge face 35that a portion-of the head 42 of a bolt 41 appropriately engaged thereinwill lie opposite said face and engage a side 43 of the rib 32 fixing itin place. The number of bolts used as described will, of course, bedetermined y the size of the partition, it being noted that thepressures at opposite sides of the partitions are always substantiallyequal. oblique to. make possible the use of the securing bolts as shownand described, and is also, in the vided at header end. and outlet portsare provided in nozzles com- .mounting of the partitions is seen obviousthat 'only those passages w prising thimbles 46 extendin transverselyfrom the end walls 25 tending transversely from the side walls 24 andadjacent the end walls 25 whereby connections are provided in threedirections at each header end. In the present instance, flanges 48 areprovided at the outer ends of the various nozzles for connecting a unitto a similar unit or to pipes as required. In initially providing theheaders, integral knock-out partitions 49 are preferably provided in-thevarious nozzle passages whereby hich are to be used need to be primarilyopened. Upon the use of a unit in subsequent and differentinstallations, any nozzles not then to be used would be closed withsuitable cover plates (not shown) mounted on the nozzle flanges 48. Thepresent structure of a header member 21 to provide the tube plates, theconnection nozzles, and the partition mounting ribs in a one piecestructure which may be cast en tire is seen to greatly minimizemanufacturing costs while permitting a varied use of the unit ashereinbefore brought out.

While'the present structure is shown and described as an atmosphericcooler, it will be the tubes thereof may be disposed in a liquid mediumwithout in any dvansaid medium being either in the form of spray ordrops of liqu1d,or comprising a liquid bath.

In Figure 13 an embodiment is shown in which partition receiving slots51 are provided in the opposite side walls 52 of a troughlike member 53similar to the previously described member 21. The baflie or partition54. comprises an. imperforate and rectangular plate having the oppositeedge portions cut off square and arranged for a sliding fit in andbetween a pair of the slots 51. In correspondence with the previouslydescribed embodiment, the partition 51 is oblique to the walls 52. Thismounting of a baflie partition, while simpler, has the disadvantage thatsedimentary or other deposits may between the partition and slot sidesto make a removal of the partition difiicult.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction andmeth- 0d of operationwill be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which theinvention appertains, and whilewe have described the principle ofoperation, together with the device which wenow consider to be the bestembodiment thereof, we desire to have it understood that the deviceshown is merely illustrative, and that such changes may be made, whendesired, as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States the following waveffecting the operativeness and a and in t imbles 47 ex-' penetrate 1.'In a heat exchanger, a generally troughlike header member having a wallformed as a tube plate and side walls integral with said wall, said sidewalls provided with mutually parallel and relatively low ribs extendingfrom and across the opposed inner faces thereof, and a partition forremovable and entirely lateral engagement with and between ribs of thedifi'egent side walls whereby to partition the header space. 2. In aheat exchan er, a generally troughlike header member aving a wall formedas a tube plate and having side walls, said side walls each providedwith a plurahty of inwardly protruding ribs extending from and acrossthe inner faces thereof, said ribs presenting mutually parallel andplanar outer faces, a cover plate for the open side of said member, apartition for simultaneous and solely lateral engagement with andbetween said rib faces of the different side walls and with and betweensaid tube plate and cover plate for completely partitioning the headercavity, and means coactive between said partition and the ribs engagedthereby to releasably fix the partition to the ribs.

3'. In a heat exchanger, a generally troughlike header member having awall formed as a tube plate and side walls extending from said-wall,said side walls each provided with a rib extending from and across theinner face thereof, said ribs. being mutually parallel, and a partitionremovably and engaged solely laterally thereof with and between saidribs whereby to partition the header space.

4. In a heat exchanger, a generally troughlike header member having awall formed as a tube plate and side walls extending from said wall,said side walls each provided with a rib extending from and across theinner face thereof, said ribs being mutually parallel, and relativelylow with respect to the walls from which they extend, a partition forremovable and entirely lateral engagement with and between said ribswhereby to partition the header space, and means cooperative with saidribs to releasably secure said partition thereto in operative position.

5. In a heat exchanger, like header member having a wall formed as. atube plate and side walls extending from said wall, said side walls eachprovided with a generally trough-- a rib extending from and across theinner face for removable and sealed engagement in the open-side of'saidmember, integral thimbles at the entremities of the member extendinglike thimbles of a like member disposed adjacent the first member andwhile the mem bers are axially aligned or laterally related.

In testimony whereof we a tures.

WILLIAM L. RIFENBERICK. CHARLESO. SANDSTROM.

ur signa-

